Tag Archives: sport

Juan Jose Padilla, a Spanish bullfighter, was gored by a 1,120 pound bull named Marques, during a bullfight in Zaragoza, Spain. Marques’ left horn pierced Padilla’s lower jaw and went straight through, coming out beside his eyeball. The thirty-nine year old bullfighter ended up with eye, bone, muscle and skin damage and even though he underwent a five-hour surgery, surgeons were not able to repair a severed facial nerve. The Miguel Servet Hospital even said that Padilla will likely suffer facial paralysis and be blind in the eye that was pierced.

While this incident, of a bullfighter being pierced by a bull, has happened before, it still shakes people up and gets them wondering if the tradition of bullfighting should be continued.

Not only is bullfighting a cruel and inhumane sport against the bull itself – with the bull being pierced numerous times with spears until its eventual and painful death – but it is also extremely risky and can turn out harmful and even fatal for the matadors, the bullfighters.

Having lived in Spain for 3 years, I have had many conversations with my Spanish friends about their feelings towards bullfighting. I have found that the older generation still finds it as a tradition and a “form of art”. However, with the younger generation, they feel that bullfighting gives Spain a “bad name” and that it is cruel. The younger generation has no problem getting rid of bullfighting all together while some of the older generation still think that it should be kept simply as a “tradition”.

My Spanish boyfriend and I personally do not like bullfighting. We both think that it is a cruel and horrible sport and source of entertainment. We were so thrilled and happy to find out that Catalonia – which is comprised of the four provinces Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona – officially banned bullfighting and the last ever bullfight occurred on September 25th, 2011.

Hopefully, this ban on bullfighting reaches other cities and eventually is adopted by all of Spain. I have never been to a bullfight and never will go to one but highlights of bullfights are often recapped on the Spanish sports news. It makes me so mad to watch and I secretly wish that the men which are doing the fighting are injured instead of the bull.

Bullfighting does need to be stopped. 180,000 people had to sign the petition that banned bullfighting in Catalonia so another petition needs to be drawn up and signed for the ban of bullfighting in Madrid and all over the rest of Spain!

I’m watching Animal Cops: Houston and there’s an episode where they raid one of the biggest dog fighting operations. 63 pit bulls, yes SIXTY-THREE, were found tied up, their bodies scarred, some bleeding and one was jumping and standing on a twisted broken foot. It was so sad to see and it just absolutely ANGERS me. There were even 3 week old puppies huddled in a corner of a dingy shed.

After the whole Michael Vick fiasco, dog fighting was brought to the public attention. While most human beings are against it and try to stop it, there are still those whom continue one of the biggest acts of animal cruelty.

I’m sorry for this image but people need to SEE in order to KNOW what is happening.

This should not be happening. Not only is it cruel and sick, but the pit bull breed has gotten a bad reputation all because humans exploit their power and strength.

While many of us are fortunate to have never experienced or known someone who participates in dog fighting, that does not mean it’s not occurring. Dog fighting is a secret “sport” and one that is not aired to the public. We, as animal rights activists and animal lovers, must educate the world about the cruelty and sickness of dog fighting.

We need to educate the young generation, especially those growing up in a troubled household or neighborhood. We need to educate those who are prone to gambling or those whom are in need of money. We need to educate every last person, whether they like animals or not, that dog fighting is not only a crime but also deadly.

Just seeing that episode made me so mad and disappointed in people. It makes me realize that while we have so much advanced technology, while our world is so much more intelligent than it was 20 years ago, there are still those who don’t care about inflicting pain on other’s and whom are stupid enough to think they can get away with it without paying some sort of price.

Even though people say that animals “don’t have souls” or that animals were “put on this earth for people’s use”, those who say that, are literally STUPID. They are ignorant, dumb and just plain STUPID. It’s impossible not to notice a soul, feelings and love when looking into an animal’s eye. They feel pain, their blood flows, they have a brain.

ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS TOO AND BECAUSE THEY CAN’T SPEAK UP FOR THOSE RIGHTS, WE MUST SPEAK UP FOR THEM.